Man Like Me
by LoisLane1986
Summary: Tony gets a new assistant that is more strong headed than him but what does she see in a man like him? I suck at summaries. Based on movie version Tony Stark and younger. Tony/OC
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so this is my Tony/OOC story. Don't get me wrong but I'm full on Pepperony just this idea has been in my head for quite some time. So I'm not sure how old Tony is supposed to be in the movies but in this story he's 30 and Emmy is 26.

Tony sat in his office at his desk. He hated his office, made him feel like he was his father. He felt more comfortable in his lab, at his house, away from the company. But he had to be there. He needed a personal assistant and fast. He sighed as he put his feet up on his desk and leaned back but ended up jerking forward at the sound of knocks rapping on his door.

He sat up quickly as he straightened out his tie and suit jacket before calling out to let the person come in. He had so many woman come in and out. Granted they were all attractive but had no real experience, no real college degree. He was getting restless, he had been there for almost hours and had yet to find anyone to be his right hand gal.

He was about to give up when a girl came bursting in almost out of breath. She was wearing a navy blue pencil skirt with a red silk top. Her hair was up in a messy bun as curls hung out in different places. Tony took note of this. He was admiring her curls, and the beautiful chocolate brown color of her hair. He also noted that she was tall, about 5'9" without her three inch heels and that she had an athletic frame. She flashed him a big smile as she put her things down next to the chair .

He felt his breath catch in his throat at the smile she flashed him. She had such a warm, innocent, and beautiful smile that he couldn't help but smile back. Her olive tone skin and her hazel eyes made him smile even more. As she stuck out her hand he grabbed it with vigour and firmly shook it.

"Mister Stark. I apologize for being so late. I'm not going to make any excuses. My name is Emmy Chandler. I don't have an appointment but everyone was alrea-

He held up a hand to stop her and smiled "It's okay, don't worry about it. Please" as he motioned to the chair.

She sat down, still smiling as she crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. "Thank you for seeing me as well."

"Don't worry about it, Miss Chandler. So what can you tell me about yourself?"

"Well...I come from a small town in Connecticut. I went to NYU for Communications. Graduated at the top of my class, I worked at Apple for a while as a secretary."

"And the reason why you left Apple?"

"I had a disagreement with the boss."

"And that was?"

"Well...apparently, speaking my mind and not sleeping with the boss was the wrong moves."

"H-What? He fired you on grounds for not sleeping with him?"

"No, he fired me on grounds of me being insubordinate. I was insubordinate a lot, he just didn't like my opinions when he asked for them. The whole sleeping with him thing he threw in later as I was trying to leave and he tried to get rough with me. So...I had to kick his ass. Pardon my language."

He couldn't believe what he just heard. She was fired from Apple, not because she was insubordinate, but because she wouldn't sleep with her boss. And she knew how to defend herself? He was liking her.

"Hey, no, more girl power to you for sticking to your guns. I like that. Listen, I need a personal assistant. I tend to call at all hours, I don't play well with others, I hate being handed things, I spend most of my time at home, in my lab. I'll basically need you 24/7/365. Are you okay with that?"

She gave him another smile, not as big as the first one but just as amazing "I'm perfectly okay with that. I don't have any family, and my friends are actually just one and she lives in England. So I'm more than okay with your requirements."

"Good, also, I can be narcissistic at all times and eccentric as well as very straight forward with everything. Also I do say inappropriate things and you're more than welcome to put me in my place verbally."

"Sounds good to me, Mister Stark."

"Tony, call me Tony, please. Mister Stark is my father, Miss Chandler."

She gave another smile "Okay, Tony. And same goes for you, Emmy. Not Miss Chandler."

Right away Tony stood up and began walking out, Emmy had to grab her things quickly to follow him. As they reached the elevator there was a man waiting for them.

"Emmy, this is Happy. Happy, my new PA Emmy."

"Nice to meet you ma'am."

"You too, and call me Emmy, please."

"Of course. The car is waiting downstairs." He walks into the waiting elevator with Tony close behind. Emmy followed and noted that if she had no heels on, they would be towering over her.

As the doors closed she held her hands in front of her. Trying to keep her mind busy all the while playing with the handle on her bag. She was tempted to look over her should at Tony or at Happy but resisted the urge. That was until she heard the clearing of the throat behind that she turned to Tony who was looking at her, and she couldn't figure out why.

"Yes, Mister Stark?" That's when she mental slapped herself, turning away and closing her eyes in frustration at herself.

"Tony, remember. Do you have a place to stay yet?"

'Crap' No, she hadn't. She was supposed to go look at a one bedroom apartment after the interview but completely forgot. "Um, no, Tony. I don't. I was supposed to go look at an apar-

"Perfect. There's a house about a mile from mine that I own. You can stay there, rent free. Consider it part of the work perks. You also get a company car, a laptop, a phone and credit card." The doors opened and he walked out past her causing her to follow next to him at a fast pace and happy on the other side "You'll also need to wear work attire clothes at all times when around me. Also JARVIS will need your DNA in the system, you also need a passcode for my house."

"Okay"

He stopped and looked at her, carefully observing her expression which showed that she was relaxed "Alright. You start officially tomorrow. Today, you get settled in" Happy was holding the door open to the car as Tony looked at her "Get in."

She smiled at Happy then at Tony as she climbed inside, carefully making sure her skirt didn't ride up in the back. As she got settled, Tony climbed in after her and Happy got into the front. She looked around, expecting it to be decked out but it wasn't. It was relatively normal. She looked over at Tony who was on his phone doing who knows what.

She then turned her attention out the window. She was actually in Malibu, California. She could see a beautiful ocean, something she didn't have back home, the water wasn't as beautiful. She could see roads that went on and on. And all that sand, it made her want to go run in it. Her attention was snapped back to reality as they pulled up to this amazing looking house. All glass except for some areas that needed wall structures. But it was beautiful. 'This is where he lives?' She thought to herself as the car stopped. She turned to Tony who just got out of the car as the door was held open for him. Happy peering in.

"Are you coming out Miss Chandler?"

She smiled and again Tony felt his breath hitch. She climbed out of the car and looked at Happy "Thank you, and remember, Emmy."

"Yes, sorry."

As she followed them in she knew her jaw was hanging open but quite honestly she didn't care. Although as soon as she entered she heard a loud beeping a voice telling her she wasn't authorized to be there.

"JARVIS, it's okay. She's my new PA."

"So sorry, sir."

"It's okay." Tony turned to Emmy. "You need to put your hand on that pad, and then type in your personal four digit Identification Number."

Emmy just looked around for a bit before seeing the pad on the wall that she swore wasn't there before. As she placed her hand upon it, she felt it scan, and then prick her causing her to hiss a bit, then she entered in her four digit number like Tony had told her to.

"Analysis completed, security information uploaded. Miss Chandler is now in my database as well as her personal history."

"Thank you, JARVIS"

Emmy had to shake her head briefly before speaking "Hang on. The house talks? It literally talks like a person."

Tony furrowed his brow as he looked at her, almost confused as to why she was asking the question "Yes, he's an Artificial Intelligence system."

"That is...amazing. So he's like Haley Joel Osment in A.I. except...computer form."

"Haley Jo-who?"

Emmy shook her head as she looked around "He's an actor. JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Chandler?"

"What are your capabilities?"

"Anything from speech to surveillance to medical to personal adaptation."

"That is wicked." She couldn't help but smile even more as she looked around.

Tony watched her with amazement. He had never seen anyone so intrigued with Jarvis before. He cleared his throat as he walked farther into the house.

"Over there is the kitchen, straight ahead, as you can see is the living room. The stairs to your left that lead downstairs is my work shop. The stair that lead upstairs is where I sleep and there are multiple bedrooms and bathrooms as well. Through the kitchen is another bathroom, a guest bedroom, a workout room with a boxing ring, sauna. And down the hall from that is the pool." He turned and looked at her. "Any questions?"

Emmy had been looking around, trying to remember where everything was and such. This house was a lot bigger than any house she had ever seen. She felt like she was in a fantasy home. She looked at Tony and smiled "No, not really. Just when would you like me to start? I have to find a place to live."

"Nonsense. I own a house around the corner, literally. You will be living there, you get a company car. Expense account. Again, any questions?"

She couldn't help but smile and shake her head. "No, no, I think I'm good to go. I should go get settled in. Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

Tony couldn't help but smile at her "Yes, that will be all Ms. Chandler."


	2. Chapter 2

**First I'd like to say thank you to everyone who favorited this story! I didn't think it would get such a wide reception. And thank you to the wonderful reviews! Please don't be afraid to review, I take no offense to what anyone says. Honestly.**

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A few months had passed since Emmy had begun her job with Tony. At first it was a little hard, he was a bit more demanding than he had led on but, she finally got into the groove of things. Granted he didn't really explain that she would have to basically live at his house when he decided to bring women back with him. He also didn't say she would have to deal with them when they woke up and send them on their merry little ways.

He also never said they would be extremely rude to her about her being there. Most of the time Emmy had to fight the urge to punch them to shut up. She had just kicked the last girl out, an annoying model who had the worst way of talking. She had to sigh, closing her eyes in frustration and made her way to Tony's lab.

She heard him blaring AC/DC like usual causing her to roll her eyes. She punched in her code and lowering the music, which of course caused him to let out an annoyed groan.

"Please don't turn down my music"

"Please stop sleeping with mindless, models."

He turned to look at her. The look of surprise mixed with impressed was all over his face. He put down his tools and stood up, walking towards her, stopping a few feet from her.

"Mindless? Hm. What did this one say?"

"Well, she said, and I quote _'I didn't know that's Tony's hiring whoreses'_. Really, Tony. Please, make sure she has a brain. I told her the car can take her anywhere she needed to go, and she asked me how to get to Oz."

Tony couldn't help but laugh at that "Well, you did say the car could take her anywhere she needed to go."

"Yes, well, I didn't think she would choose an imaginary land that you can't get to."

"You've never wanted to go?"

Emmy gave him a certain look "No, I've never wanted to. That movie scared me. Moving on I'-

"How did that movie scare you?"

"Tony, it's not important"

"It is to me, actually."

"Tony"

"Emmy"

Emmy just let out a sigh "If I tell you will you let me do my job?"

"Maybe, but I can't make any promises."

She stared him down for as long as possible before sighing and closing her eyes. "Fine, it scares me because of the munchkin's and the flying birds and the witch. And Glinda. That woman, is scary cheerful."

Tony tried his hardest to keep a straight face but, it was failing. He fell apart with laughter. The thought of anyone being that afraid of the movie was beyond him. He knew he should stop laughing, especially from the looks Emmy was giving him. But his body just wasn't stopping. His mind was saying stop his body was saying keep on laughing.

When he finally calmed down, he sat down in his chair. A smile still upon his face, he slowly swiveled in his chair.

"I'm sorry for laughing. Truly, I am. Actually, I'm not. One, because that movie is not scary. Two, Glinda was probably one the hottest witches I've ever seen."

Emmy just rolled her eyes. She had figure out Tony within a few days, his behaviors, his likes and dislikes. What kind of women he went for, what kind he didn't. His favorite brand of liquor, his least favorite movie. Everything. Even the type of foods he liked and didn't like. That was always fun to find out.

"Of course she was. Look, Tony there is about a thousand things I need to go over with you."

"Now? I'm busy so can it wait?"

"No, because things need to be decided"

"But if we can just put it off till later"

"And if they aren't decided now we're going to have a bunch of things are going to fall apart."

"I'm just saying all work and no play can make you very boring"

"We also have to discuss the Picasso you want to aquire"

Tony got up and just began walking, not really wanting to stop this funny he was having with Emmy at her expense "Being boring can age you, you know."

"The asking price for it just went up so if you want it you have to tell me"

"How about we go do something fun to make sure you don't age faster than you need to."

"It's a wonderful piece of artwork but I've got to say, it's a lot more expensive than it should be."

"How about an amusement park? Roller coaster's are probably the best thing ever"

"I think you should aquire the Von Gough instead."

"How about we go to Disneyland. I haven't been there in so long."

"So I'm going to say no to the Picasso and yes to Von Gough."

"How much?"

"Oh, now you actually want to listen to me."

"I've been listening this whole time"

"Apparently. So which one do you want to know the price of?"

"Both."

"Picasso, the asking price is 2.3 million. And Von Gough is 3.8 million. Personally I believe them to be over priced."

He thought for a moment. "I need them. Buy them, store them."

She gave him a smile "Already done"

"Really? Without running it by me?"

"Just did, while you weren't listening to me, I bought them for you and sent them straight to the warehouse."

"I'm impressed Miss Chandler." He couldn't help but smirk at her.

She gave him a small smile back "You should be, Mister Stark."

"What were the other things to be discussed?"

"The art exhibit in Japan that you are supposed to atten-

"Already packed for it"

"Okay, then you have few conferences today that you need to addres-

"The new missile. I know. Now, I have something important to talk to you about."

She gave him a curious eye. He rarely had anything important to talk to her about so this was a bit out of the blue. She folded her arms slightyly, shifting her weight to her left foot as she tilted her head to the side.

"And that would be?"

"That woman that was here last night. She didn't take anything right? She seemed a bit sketchy to me."

Emmy laughed and rolled her eyes and started heading for the door. "I'll be back later, Tony."

He watched her walk away. She apparently was amused at his question, which he was fully serious about. He didn't understand why she was laughing.

"I'm being serious."

"I know you are. That's what's funny."

And just like that she was walking up the stairs. Tony just watched her, baffled a bit by her reaction. He walked over to his chair slowly, his eyes were still on the stairwell. She was perplexing and yet, fascinating all at the same time. That's what intrigued him the most. He found her to be challenging, with almost everything he said and did, she kept him in line, she matched him on wit. She was his equal. And that was what drew him to her the most. She was the one person that could really call him on his bullshit.

He smiled to himself remembering what had happened a few weeks ago. He had scared her to death almost and for the first time since his best friend James Rhodes he saw that another person truly cared about him.

He hadn't checked in for almost two weeks while he was away on a trip in england and he had lost his phone. So getting in contact with him was useless. He hadn't memorized Emmy's number, so he wasn't able to call him. So when he finally arrived back home, he saw a bunch of cop cars at his house.

He couldn't help but smile in a happy way when he thought about what had happened next. As soon as he walked through the door, a bit confused as to why everyone was there, he locked eyes with Emmy. She had been crying. A lot. Her face was puffy and her eyes were red. He heard her say his name and before he could react, he felt her hugging him. He didn't even see her move from the living room to the front door which was a good distance. Even Rhody was there and gave him a look of relief. But Emmy. She clung to Tony, he could feel her body shake as she held onto him. It was only then that he realized that she was crying.

He just wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, gently swaying from side to side and he just kept repeating _'It's okay, I'm alright. I'm here'_ They stood like that for a good five minutes before he felt her pulling back. They locked eyes again before he felt a hand connect with his face. She had just slapped him

He let his head stay turned to the right side as he felt the stinging go away. He looked back at her and she was now pissed, eyes still red and puffy but pissed. He couldn't help but smile at her and apologize. And just like that she was hugging him again.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard J.A.R.V.I.S. talking to him.

"Sir, Miss Chandler has been trying you"

"Ah, yes, tell her I will be right up."

"Yes, sir. Also, I am indicating that your heart rate is a bit above average. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, Jarvis. I'm fine. Just thinking about a few things."

He got up and headed towards the door. His thoughts still on that night.

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**Alright you lot, you know what to do. Review, fave, alert. Do whatever you'd like. I'm also in the process of writing an AU Pepper/Tony fic, they wont be like they are in Iron Man and it wont be happy. Its a dark one. And if you would like to see some of it. Review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! So this story has been really well received! I am going to be annoying and ask if you guys can please review. It lets me know if you liked the chapters or not, and if you have any ideas or questions. Who knows, I might even take what you say and put it in the story! Also, at the end of this will be a slight preview to the Dark fic I'm writing for Tony/ Pepper! Please review guys! Enjoy!**

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Emmy found herself working a lot later than usual. She had been so busy. There were military contracts coming in everyday, requests for new weapons, demonstrations to be done. She felt like she was going to combust. But most of all, she got the worst feeling from Tony's life long friend who was close to his dad. Obadiah Stane. She didn't trust as far as she could throw him, and for the record that would be about 5 feet in front of her.

Obadiah Stane, had known Tony his whole life. He was basically Tony's uncle. And unfortunately, to Emmy's dislike, Tony trusted Obadiah more than anything. More than her. So when Obadiah was over she made sure to keep herself busy. She had been working for Tony for almost a year. She remembered when she thought Tony was missing. She had only been working with him for only 6 months and it was the scariest time of her life. She thought she had lost him.

So she just sat there, awkwardly with Obadiah, her laptop on her lap, her eyes fixated on the screen. But she could feel Obadiah's gaze on her, like he was trying to burn holes through her. This made her shift more causing Obadiah to scoff a bit. She just casually looked at him and smiled a bit.

"I'm sorry, if I seem a bit standoffish or anything. Just I don't want to say or do anything that might result in you disliking me."

He smiled. He just smiled and sat forward "It's quite alright. I'm just observing. Seeing what Tony sees in you. Which is a lot."

Emmy saw his eyes wander down her body and up again, lingering here and there. She felt like groaning or gagging but just kept a small smile upon her face.

"Well thank you. That means a lot coming from you."

Obadiah smiled again but this time shifting closer to Emmy, of course she wasn't really comfortable with this but she kept her eyes on him. He reached over and gently touched her on the thigh, now she was really uncomfortable.

"I know how Tony likes his women, Emmy. But you're not really his taste. If you know what I mean."

"Uh...um...I..." She wasn't sure what to do. Did she strike him? Did she get up? What?

"Everything alright here?" Tony asked.

Emmy breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she heard his voice. She was instantly calm, his voice did that to her a lot. She looked over at him, locking eyes with him and smiled a kind smile as she nodded. She wasn't going to tell him that she was uncomfortable with Obadiah hitting on her. Better yet, she wasn't going to say any of that.

"Yeah, Obadiah was just reassuring me that you aren't going anywhere, as in leaving, you know like in death. Because of what happened 6 months ago."

Tony got the hint and nodded, he still felt like there was something she wasn't telling him. He could see how uncomfortable she was before he had said anything and the instant relief in her eyes when she looked at him gave him the proof she needed an out. He walked over and plopped down on the other side of her, an arm draping itself on the back of the couch where her back was.

"Ah, yeah that. If I remember correctly, I got slapped for that."

"I slapped you because you scared me half to death. It never dawned on you to pick up a phone anywhere and call?"

He thought for a moment. "Good point. Obie what can I do you for?"

Obadiah took a breath, taking his hand off of Emmy's thigh before thinking, leaning forward at the same time. "We have a meeting this morning remember?"

Tony gave Emmy a look as she smiled and shrugged "Don't look at me, Tony. I reminded you last night and you said you wouldn't forget."

Tony looked at Emmy for a bit in a bewildered way and then looked at Obadiah and gave him an apologetic look "I'm sorry, Obie. I completely forgot."

"It's alright, you have other things on your mind" He said while looking at Emmy in a way that made Tony seethe but he made sure not to let it show. He didn't like the way Obadiah was looking at Emmy but when he looked at her, she was paying more attention to what she was doing than to the men in the room staring at her. Tony let a smile escape onto his face.

Emmy had a way of pretending to not know what was going on, a hidden talent to blocking things out. Or so Tony thought. He admired that about her, he loved that about her. He quickly cleared his throat, standing up so fast he caused both Emmy and Obadiah to stare at him in confusion.

"Alright, let's get going, I'll throw on some decent clothing. Miss Chandler, please follow me."

Emmy furrowed her brow as she set her things down and stood up, following Tony as he headed for the stairs. He didn't say a word until they had entered his room. He closed the door behind then and began getting dressed. Emmy blushed a bit as she looked away from him, but he didn't mind her being there. Not that he would mind all the same.

"So is everything okay?"

Emmy looked over at him, he was looking over his shirts, pants already on, buckle done, shoes on. She couldn't help but think when did he do all of that? She quickly cleared her throat and nodded.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Why do you ask?"

Tony had finally settled on a blue shirt and a denim tie. As he buttoned up his shirt he looked at her. "You looked a bit uncomfortable with Obadiah when I walked in. If he made you feel uneasy in any way, you should tell me."

The last thing she wanted to do was cause any sort of trouble with Tony and Obadiah so she just smiled and laughed a bit "No, no it's nothing like that. It's just, I'm not used to being consoled so when he did that it just put me on edge. It's all me and my own problems. Trust me, Obadiah is in the clear."

Tony finished his tie, grabbing his jacket and walking over to her, with her heels on they were eye level. He stared at her a bit. In the year they had been working together, he had learned to learn her. Her mannerism, her habits, likes and dislikes, allergies if any. Although it seemed like he didn't care or that he was paying any attention, he was doing just the opposite. He did care, and he was paying close attention. And he knew right then and there, she was lying to him. But he just plastered on a smile.

"Alright then."

She smiled at him as she straightened out his tie, his jacket and looked him in the eyes. She knew that he knew her just as well as she knew him but some things were better left alone. And Obadiah, as much she disliked him, was one of those things.

"Will that be all, Mister Stark?"

Tony played with the cuff of his jacket a bit and looked at her with no smile "Yes, that will be all Miss Chandler."

And with that he was out the door, leaving Emmy to just watch is swing slowly open, her eyes still watching it but with sadness. She had just felt the cold shoulder of Tony Stark, and it was not a feeling that was sitting well with her at all.

**So sorry this was a bit short! But I promised this preview for my new story which is still in the works. Please comment and let me know if you like both Man like Me and Trust Me!**

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**Hey guys! So since my Man Like Me story has been getting a lot of faves, and alerts and great reception. I've decided to do something less like the norm. This is an AU fic for Tony and Pepper. They're characters are totally different than that of the movies/comics. Although to help you visualize better it's the movie versions of Tony and Pepper just...not how they are in the movies. This is a dark AU by the way and it's modeled slightly after Gothika just different.**

She sat in the chair, in the same room, like she did every morning. She couldn't help but fidget. It was uncomfortable and cold and she felt unsafe there. As she waited for her psychiatrist to show up she gave one of the guards a look. He was staring at her in an unsavory way that made her hair stand up and gave her the chills.

She decided to play with her hair instead. It was sort of dry and not very well brushed, but they felt that if they gave her a hairbrush, she might try to use it on herself. To harm herself, but she would never do that. But that's what this place was for.

Her name is Virginia Pepper Potts. And she was in the Psychiatric Facility in Rochester, New York for having hallucinations. She kept seeing a man named Yinsen, he never spoke, but he would show up in her cell, in the yard, in the cafeteria. But she knew one thing about him. He was killed by the head of the facility, Obadiah Stane.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the door open to the room she was in, she looked up to see her doctor, Tony Stark walking in. She gave him a smile like usual and got closer to the table she was sat at. She liked Tony, he rarely treated her as a patient and more like a person. But she knew she couldn't trust him. You can't trust someone who thinks you're crazy.

Tony sat down in the chair across from Pepper, taking in her appearance, and noting that she hadn't been sleeping due to the bags under her eyes. He let out a sigh as he opened his notebook and jotted down a few things. She had been indulging her delusion of Obadiah murdering a man named Yinsen. Although, despite his efforts to persuade her otherwise, she stuck to her story. He liked Pepper, he thought with a lot of help inside the facility and outside, he could get her back into the world as a normal, functioning citizen. But first he would have to convince her to stop indulging herself of this story.

"Hello, Tony."

He looked up at her, she looked so frail, he knew she didn't eat much of the food there. "Good morning, Pepper. How are you today?"

"I'm fine. I was happy to see the sky was blue and with clouds. It made me happy. Then Yinsen came by."

Tony had to place his pen down, putting his face in his hands he let out a sigh and rubbed his face a bit. "Pepper, we've been over this. Yinsen, he's not real. He is a hallucination that you keep having."

"He's not a hallucination. I see him as clear as I see you."

"He's not real. You have latched onto this idea of him. Do you know what a hallucination is? No? I'll tell you a hallucination is an abnormal sensory experience that arises in the absence of a direct external stimulus, and which has the qualities of a normal percept and is experienced as real and usually in external space. Hallucinations may occur in any sensory modality. Do you understand what that means?"

She listened carefully, letting the words sink in slowly. He was being short with her today, he was never short with her. He must not be getting any sleep. She avoided his gaze, his brown eyes burning into her green ones. She couldn't take it. She looked over to a corner where Yinsen was standing and nodded.

"Yes" she said in an almost whisper.

"Tell me."

"Why?"

"Because I need to know that you understand what it means. Tell me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have that."

Tony couldn't help but slam his hands down causing her to jump and look back at him. He was getting frustrated. He knew Pepper was a smart woman, incredibly so. He hated seeing her here, he knew that she could get better if she wanted to.

"Damn it, Pepper. I am TRYING to help YOU! If you actually want to leave here, then you will let me help you."

"I do want to leave here but I'm not going to admit to having something that I don't HAVE Tony!"

Tony forced himself to stand up as he began to pace, thrusting his hands into his pockets and his head down, he made sure not to look over at her.

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**Alright! So that's the third chapter of Man Like Me and a preview of my new Dark Tony/Pepper fic which is loosely based on Gothika, a movie in which Robert Downey Jr played a psychiatrist opposite Halle Berry. It's one of my favorite films. So check it out if you've never seen it! Remember to please leave feedback, I'm an actress in real life and one thing I love getting is feedback because it lets me know if I need to improve on things or if you just enjoyed it! Chapter four is in the process of being written but please be patient, I am also working on multiple screenplays at the moment.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Soooooo...I've been massively busy and such so this has been finished for a bit just keep forgetting to update it. I'm trying to update a lot of my fics on here. And I'm adding a new one called We All Need Saving (got the title from a Jon McLaughlin song. Look it up. It's a gorgeous song) So please enjoy and review! I know it's not that long but hey, I do what I can.**

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It had been three weeks since Obadiah had made her so uncomfortable she received the cold shoulder from Tony. And so far it hadn't thawed out. She felt like she had stuck a cord with him, and so far she was paying for it. She made her way down to his workshop, seeing he was working on the car as usual. The only car he never drove, it was mainly there for him to tinker away on when he was in a mood or bored. She took a deep breath as she entered her four digit ID number and opened the door.

Usually there's music playing and she would have to turn it down, but this time, it was quiet. Very quiet. She slowly walked into the room, spotting him right away, sitting at the car he loved to work on so much. He hadn't made any acknowledgement that she had entered or made any remark or anything.

She sat down beside him, watching him carefully as he removed things, things she didn't even recognized. She knew cars but she didn't KNOW cars. She watched him a bit longer before letting out a loud and long sigh, just to know he would acknowledge her. But nothing happened. She was beginning to get annoyed. This was childish.

"For god sakes, Tony! What is going on with you?"

He didn't even flinch or look up at her. He remained focused on what he was doing. She had had enough. She got up and headed for the door. If he wanted to act like this fine. Two can play at that game but she wasn't going to do that. She showed her anger in a different way, and that was closing people out. Something he probably wont be used to with her.

"Where are you going?" He suddenly asked.

She stopped and turned to look at him. He was still doing what he was doing. "I am going back upstairs. Why?"

"I thought you came down to talk to me."

"I did, but you just ignored me."

"I wasn't ignoring you, I'm working."

"Yeah, well you could have fooled me."

He suddenly turned to look at her. "I'm sorry, is my hobby getting in the way of your job?"

She glared right at him "No, not at all. Mister Stark. I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

She hadn't even let him finish saying his name as she made her way upstairs. She stormed right into the living room even though it wasn't that far from the stairs but she was so frustrated. If she had gone in the kitchen she would have broken so many things and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

She just sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands, she could feel herself not relaxing. She had been stressed about what had happened with Obadiah and the fact she hadn't said anything to Tony. And she was also tired, tired from acting like she was fine with what happened, tired from not telling Tony the truth. And tired from the fact that she had feelings for Tony and she wasn't ready to admit it to him yet. She didn't even know she was crying until she heard the sound of a throat clearing.

She quickly looked up, trying to wipe away the tears on her face, all of sudden realizing that her nose was also stuffy. It was then she saw the look on Tony's face.

He had every intention of just staying in his workshop, just letting her go up to do whatever she needed to do but he had been doing this too her for way to long. Blaming her for something she didn't really do. He threw his wrench across the room in frustration. Why he was being this way towards her, he had no idea. He finally let out a sigh, rubbing his face with his hands as he stood up and walked out the door and up the stairs.

When he got to the top he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Emmy was crying. He wasn't sure if she knew she was even crying. He could feel himself not breathing for a bit. This was a sight he never wanted to ever see since she came into his life. He loved her. But could he admit it to himself? Or to her? For now he couldn't, he just had to fix this situation he had caused. So he ignored his feelings for her and cleared his throat. And when she looked up at him, eyes red and puffy and a tear stained face.

He could feel his heart and chest tighten with pain, seeing her like this really did cause him pain. He felt like someone was ripping out his heart. He slowly walked over to her, picking up a tissue box along the way and holding it out for her. She simply wiped her own face with her hands, refusing to take any tissues.

She sniffled a bit "Can I help you Mister Stark?"

There was that pain again "Are you okay? You seem to be crying."

"Allergies."

She wasn't even looking at him. She was being short with him, something he felt he deserved. He had been a complete ass to her the past few weeks. He was giving her the cold shoulder a lot. No woman appreciates that, no human being appreciates that. He was going to have to work extra hard to get her to talk to him again. Like they were before.

"Listen, I uh...I just wanted. What I mean to say is that I haven't been fair. To you. About anything and everything."

"It's alright, Mister Stark."

He sat down beside her "Hey, Emmy. Come on. I'm trying to apologize here."

She finally looked at him, she gave him the worst look he could ever imagine she could give. "Mister Stark. I'd appreciate it if you addressed me as Miss Chandler. This is a professional relationship, you've made that quite clear."

"Emmy, listen to me. Please."

"I am listening to you."

"No, you are not. This is hard for me to do. Apologize. It's not something I'm accustomed to."

She sighed and looked at him "Fine, I'm sorry. Go ahead and apologize."

He took a deep breath "I am sorry. For how I've been the last few weeks."

She looked at him for a bit and turned away "It's in the past Mister Stark."

"Oh, come on, Em, don't be like that. I said I was sorry."

"And I said it was in the past."

"But you called me Mister Stark"

"I always call you that."

"This time was different."

Emmy shifted a bit, her eyes focused on what she was doing "It was. I agree. I've decided that since we have gotten too close, it was best to keep things professional. I don't even fully know why you've been acting the way you have been."

Tony was a bit taken aback by her statement. Had he really been that bad to her? He didn't think he was. He was just doing what his dad would do to him. And that's when he mentally punched himself in the face. He hated how his father made him feel for little things and then he turned around and did it right to Emmy. He let out a sigh and cleared his throat as he looked at her.

"I've been mad at you. For...not telling me what Obadiah said or did that made you uncomfortable?"

Emmy whipped her head around, her face looked confused "You mean what happened like...three weeks ago?" Tony simply nodded "Tony, why would I tell you something that wasn't even that big of a deal?"

"It was to me!" Tony yelled as he stood. Emmy shifted back in surprise, she had never seen him react like this to anything. "Damn it, Emmy. I saw how uncomfortable you were. Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because I don't want to drive a wedge between the two of you with my own problems, so just drop it."

Tony just stared at her in disbelief. She was saving him? No one has ever done that. Never. He walked over and moved her laptop off her lap and just held her, letting her cry, soaking his shirt and he didn't care. This woman cared about him and he wasn't going to let anything jeopardize that. That even meant not being a total ass to her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating for a while. Work got crazy, then family then I found out I got a part in a movie that will be released into theatres later this year so everything has been hectic. I also got out of my writers funk for this so woot woot! I know it's not very long like the others. I also might not write what it was like for Tony in the caves. Although he might have flash backs. So future chapters might be a bit more interesting. Who knows? Also I can't believe the love this story has been getting so thank you soooo much! And how amazing was the third trailer? Honestly, if you haven't seen it, get yo ass in gear and SEE IT! ENJOY! Let me know what you think of this chapter or story!**

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It had been about two months since she cried on Tony's shoulder. Two months since she let her walls down to the point of being weak. Something she promised herself she would never do. It was a defensive mechanism that she learned to do when she was younger and didn't want anyone knowing her business. She put up walls to make herself look stronger than others, to make herself seem more in control of the situation, so other's wont view her as weak.

But Tony. Tony had been the only one to break through those walls and she couldn't understand how. Of course she had strong romantic feelings for him but still, there was something about him that just made her feel like it was okay to bring those walls down. A man like him was rare to find and she had found him but the problem was she didn't think she was good enough for him. And he probably thought the same about her.

She just let out a heavy sigh, forgetting where she was and who she was around until she heard a familiar voice say her name. She snapped her head up so fast she barely had time to focus on Tony. The entire board was looking at her with confused and annoyed looks. But Tony just looked worried. She plastered on a smile and gave an apology and with that the meeting continued but Tony's eye's lingered on her a bit longer before she motioned for him to pay attention to what was happening in the room.

It was only when Tony and her were headed back to his house that she began to relax a bit more than she was in the board meeting. She barely heard Tony say her name, she was in her world a bit too much but, hearing his voice snapped her back to reality. When she looked over at him he had that same worried look on his face that he had had in the meeting. She frowned a bit, she couldn't understand why he was so worried.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Because I'm worried about you."

"What for? I'm fine."

He just looked at her with such intensity that it threw her off. She had never seen anyone look at her the way he was at this very moment. And yet, she couldn't understand why. She just cleared her throat, fixing her skirt even though it was fine, adverting her eyes from his and looking at the floor.

"I'm worried because you really haven't been yourself lately. Did I do something again?"

Her head snapped back up and she looked at him with so much confusion his brow began to furrow itself.

"Do something? Wh-why would you think that?"

"Because you are not being yourself. You usually banter with me, or yell at me. But lately you've just been quiet. Are you still mad at me? I'm working on not being an ass I really am. I pro-

"Tony" she said with a smile. He was trying so hard to make sure she was okay, to not behave how he did a couple months ago. "I'm not mad at you or anything. Okay? I'm just. I'm angry at myself for letting you see me so weak."

"Weak?"

"When I cried a couple of months ago. I've been feeling embarrassed about it and angry at myself for letting it happen."

Tony let out a sigh as he rubbed his eyes. He had feared that it was something much worse. That someone had gotten hurt that she cared about or something much worse. He was thankful that it wasn't anything serve but it hurt him that she was beating herself up so much over this.

He had much rather her cry about it in front of him then hold it in and not do anything about it at all. But he was slowly starting to understand Emmy just a little bit more. Not only was she strong but she didn't want other's to see points in which she would cry, moments that she thought were weakness. Moments where she thought she was letting other's down.

He couldn't help himself but, reach over and put his hand on top of her's, turning a bit so that he could look at her better. He took notice of her confused but shocked look all at once. He had been living alone for so long. He had Happy of course, one of his best friend's. But not even Happy or Rhodey knew him like Emmy did. She knew the right things to say, his moods, what he was thinking and they had only been working together for over a year.

"Listen to me. I will never think you weak for crying or for showing any other emotion. You are human like me. I will never judge you for having emotions."

For some reason she couldn't help but smile, her eyes tearing up a bit "Thank you, Tony. I will remember that."

"You called me, Tony again."

She frowned "I always call you Tony."

"Not in the past two months it's been Mr. Stark. But I get Tony twice in one day. I'm on a roll."

He couldn't help but smile at her smile and laugh. Things seemed to be getting back to normal. Back to how everything used to be. As they felt the car stop and they climbed out he knew he had to go and get his bags. A presentation to do in Afghanistan for his new weapon, the Jericho. He didn't really want to leave yet. Emmy and him were getting back on track and he didn't want to jeopardize that.

As they entered the house, hearing JARVIS greet them with his usual enthusiasm before he headed downstairs, leaving Emmy in the living room. He had to do some work before leaving to another country. His hands were itching to fix something, so of course he would have music blasting. He knew that when it came time for him to leave, his favorite person would come and make him.

When the heard his music get lowered, hearing a familiar voice and her exasperated sigh made him smile to himself. As he was fixing the car he was always working on he could feel her frustration with him. He knew what was coming now.

"Tony, come on. You've got to get moving."

"Don't you mean 'we'?"

"No, I mean you. You were supposed to be on the plane 3 hours ago."

"Funny, seeing as how it's my plane, it would leave whenever I get there."

"Come on, Tony. You have to go do this presentation."

"And I would like you to come with me."

"I would but, I have plans."

Tony frowned to himself and turned around to look at her. Plans? Since when did she have plans that didn't involve him? Then the worst thought set in his mind. Maybe she was seeing someone. Had he missed his window? Had he missed his chance?

"Oh..."

"Look, I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday. Plus my best friend is in town so I'm going to meet up with her." She said with a smile

"It's your birthday? I knew that," he said as he walked over to her "Already?"

"Yeah, isn't that funny. Same time as last year when I first started working for you."

"Wait...I hired you on your birthday?"

She simply nodded "That you did, Mr. Stark" a small smile played on her face.

There it was. The smile he had missed so much in the past two months. It was back and it was for him and it was because they were getting back on track. Oh, how had he missed that smile. It made his heart jump, it made him feel warm and happy. It made him feel at peace.

"Well, Ms. Chandler. I hope I got you something nice."

"Oh, you did."

"Did I?"

"Mhmm. Very tasteful. Very me. Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"You're very welcome, Ms. Chandler."

He realized he was smiling at her the same way she was smiling at him. He could smile at her like this all day if he could. Well, truth be told he did. All the time, without fault. He was surprised to learn how much she meant to him. A man like him. He didn't think it would be possible for her to feel the same for him the way he felt for her. 'What would she see in a man like me?' he thought to himself.

"Tony?"

He was pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of her voice and the sound of his name. He really didn't want to go anywhere today, or ever if there was a choice. If he could he would just spend all of his time with her. In his house. And just enjoy her company for the rest of his life.

"Yes?"

She held up a cup of espresso for him. So of course he took it and downed it. A jolt to wake him up he guessed. He handed the cup back to her as he went upstairs knowing well enough that Emmy was following him. As they entered the living room he saw Happy standing there with his hands in front of him and a smile on his face.

"Hey, boss."

"Happy. My friend, where are you taking me today?"

"Airstrip."

"Sounds like a solid plan."

He gave a small smile to Happy before turning around and looking at Emmy, a smile on her face as well as she had her hands behind her. He walked over to her, his hands in his pockets and a curious look on his face. It seemed like she was hiding something.

"You look guilty of something. What did you do?"

She faked a scoff "Me? I did nothing but this."

And with that she gave him a box with a bow on it. He seemed confused as he took it. He knew it wasn't his birthday and she clearly stated downstairs that it was her birthday, so why was she giving him a gift? As he opened the box he saw the watch in it, a watch he had been looking at and liked it but never bought it. But she did. Did he really pay her that much to buy it? Or did she use the company card? He didn't care at the moment as he took it out.

It was a beautiful watch, gold plated, black on the inside. Light weight. He was in love with it. Then he saw two delicate hands take the watch and put it on his wrist with such ease he barely felt it go on. He looked at Emmy with a smile, her focus on the watch, trying not to put it on too tight and when she done she smiled at him.

"There, now you will wow them even more."

"Thank you but, you do know it's your birthday, right?"

A small laugh escaped from her mouth "Yes, I know it's my birthday but, it's also been a year since you hired me so. I decided to get you a gift. For everything you've done for me and will do for me."

"Thank you."

"Tony, you're an incredible man. You may not believe it and the world may not. But I do. And I will never stop believing it for as long as I'm alive. Now, get going. And come back in one piece, unharmed please."

"Yes ma'am." he said with a smile.

As he left the house he looked back at the front door. Knowing she was worried that what happened when he was missing for two weeks might happen again. That fear of losing him was prominent at all times. As the car began to pull away, he watched her from the window. First she was in the door, then she was in the spot the car was parked in and now he could no longer see her.

A sinking feeling set in that he wasn't going to see her for a bit. He will be in a foreign country without her by his side. But he wouldn't be alone, he would be there with Rhodey, his best friend and before he knows it, he will be back home with Emmy on his tail and everything will be alright. Nothing was going to happen on this trip that would jeopardize him coming home. Or so he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey all! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. But hopefully this makes up for it. Next chapter Emmy does something drastic. So enjoy this one! Please leave reviews of kind words and critical ones as well.**

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_'Tony'_

He stirred in his sleep, the dripping noise was a constant. He had heard his name in the distance but, he couldn't make out who it was.

_'Tony!'_

He recognized that voice, that beautiful voice. He slowly opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. It wasn't very well lit and he could still hear the dripping noise. As he went to touch his face he felt a tube that was inserted into his nose. He was still hazy but as he slowly and painfully pulled the tube from his nose he was able to feel around better. That is until he felt something on his chest, something metal. Something that shouldn't be there.

How could he not panic? There was something metal sat in the middle of his chest, he had no idea where he was or what happened. As he lay back down he closed his eyes momentarily. Only to have what happened come rushing back into his mind.

There were explosions, young men and women being shot and killed right in front of him. By weapons he had created himself. Rhodey had yelled for him to take cover and had he listened? No. He decided to try and get in on the fight and instead was blasted back by a missile he had designed himself. Was this payback for what he had done in his life?

_'Tony'_

His eyes snapped open once again as he sat up, pulling at the wires. He heard her, he heard Emmy yelling his name, screaming for him. He had to get back. He had to be there to protect her. He just kept trying to pull at the wires until he heard a man clear his voice.

"Hello?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a man said as he came forward. Glasses on his face. He was tall and slender but not American, his accent was different. "That car battery, wires and the device in your chest is the only thing keeping you alive, Mr. Stark."

"What do you want? Where am I?"

"I want nothing but, to get us out alive. As for where you are, I'm not even sure. But we are being held captive."

"By who?"

"By people who want you alive."

Before Tony could ask his next question he was interrupted by a loud bang and some yelling. He couldn't understand what they were saying but, the man in the place with him told him to get up and to do as he did. As the people on the other side of the door entered he saw that they held something he knew very well. His own guns.

"Those are my guns. How did they get my guns?"

"Be quiet and do as I do."

A heavier set man approached the two of them. As he got closer to Tony he took a step backwards but, when he started to speak he looked at the man next to him. He couldn't understand what he was saying but, the man, whom's name he didn't know, did. He was listening carefully before looking at Tony.

"He wants you to build him a Jericho Missile."

These people, the people that were holding him captive, kept him alive for one purpose and one purpose only. So that he can build them his latest missile. And for what? To have power? To kill people with it? Emmy could end up being one of those people and he couldn't take that risk. He looked the man dead in the eyes, no emotions readable on Tony's face.

"I refuse."

Apparently that was the wrong answer. The man yelled something and two men grabbed Tony as another grabbed the battery and started to drag him someplace, a sack was placed over his head so he couldn't see anything. But once it was taken off there was a tub of water. 'Shit' Tony thought to himself. He knew what was going to happen next and it wasn't going to be very pleasant.

As he was made to kneel and his head was thrust under water and held there he could only think of one person. Emmy. He felt himself start to lose breath, this was it, he was going to die here. Until his head was pulled up, gasping for air, he thought it was over. Then he was pushed back under the water.

_'Tony'_

His eyes shot open under the water. He heard it again. He heard Emmy yelling out his name. He didn't care whether it was in his head or not he heard it. Clear as day and when they brought him back up, gasping once again for air, the sack was back over his head. They gave him the battery to carry and once he was back in the place he woke up the sack came off.

He slowly walked over the man who was standing there. As he placed his battery down and sat on the bed he woke up on he looked up.

"What's your name?"

"Yinsen."

"Good to have met you, Yinsen."

"And you, Mister Stark."

Tony smiled to himself as he walked over to his cot and laid down, his eyes slowly closing, drifting off to sleep all he could think about was Emmy. She had been put through something like this before but, this time he was unsure if he was coming back from it alive. The thought pained him, he never got to express to her how much she means to him. He was careful not to think in the past tense because as unlikely as it was for him to get out of this alive he was going to make sure to see her smiling face once more. As his eyes fully closed the thought of getting back home alive to Emmy was getting farther and farther from his mind.

Emmy awoke with a scream in the middle of the night, soaked in cold sweat, some of her curls spilling out over her face. As she calmed herself down she looked around. It had been a month since Tony's trip and a month since they haven't found anything to do with him. The thought alone was killing her that he was hurt or worse dead.

She pushed the thoughts away from her mind as she got out of bed and exited her bedroom. As she walked down the hall she paused in front of a familiar room, a room that has been unoccupied for a month. She looked in to see that it still was untouched, a part of her wishing that her dream was just that and she would find him down in his workshop.

She couldn't help herself as she walked farther into the room, picking up a t-shirt and holding it. Her eyes began to water as she looked around. He wasn't there. He was lost and she feared she would never get him back. As she crumbled to the floor, the tears finally springing free from her eyes, she couldn't help the cries escape from her mouth.

She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, holding her in place as she cried. She knew who it was, she didn't have to guess at all. It was Rhodey. He insisted on staying there out of concern for her. Some days he wasn't there, other's he was. He must have just gotten back from one of his searches for Tony as she looked at him.

"Rhodey?"

Such hope and fear was present in her voice all at once. But the look in his face said it all. This search had come up empty but she knew he wouldn't stop looking. For both of their sakes.

"Come on."

Rhodey helped her stand up as he lead her out of the room, down the stairs and to the kitchen. Emmy had calmed down a bit but was still a wreck. As she sat down, the lights turned on and Rhodey had begun to make tea for her and coffee for himself.

"What happened?"

Rhodey took in a deep breath as he let it out slowly "Nothing. We looked, Emmy. We did. But we found nothing. My senior officers have ordered me to take a two week break looking for him."

"What!"

"I know, I know. Not idea and it makes chances of finding him that much difficult. But I am trying."

"That's not good enough. You need to try harder!"

"Emmy, you need to calm down, ok-

"I can't! I can't calm down. I've been having the same nightmare for the past month, Rhodey. And all I see, all I ever see in the dreams is you, bring back his broken, lifeless body. And all I can do is scream his name over and over and cry because I did nothing to help. I-...I can't lose him forever. We have to find him, whatever it takes."

"Emmy," Rhodey was staying calm because he knew that if he showed an ounce of fear or panic he would be no good to Emmy at all. Or to Tony. He had to keep it together to find his best friend. "Listen to me, look at me." He could tell that she was hesitant, she was angry with the world, the Airforce, Tony and Rhodey but after a few seconds she looked at him. He could see how tired she was and how angry she was but, most importantly how devastated she was. "I promise on my life, we will find Tony alive and in one piece. I promise you but, you need to trust me and have faith in me."

"Can you really promise that you will bring him back to me?"

"I can and I will. We both love him and we both need him."

Emmy just looked at him with almost dead eyes, she was so drained from waking up every night, drenched in a cold sweat and crying herself back to sleep. She kept hearing the same thing over and over for a month. The Airforce kept telling her to sit tight, that they would find Mister Stark very soon. And each time she was told this they came up empty.

Now it was a month into the search and still nothing. She understood it took time to find people but, this wasn't just anyone. This was Tony Stark. Her employer, the man she loves. So for her this was more important than anything else.

"Do what you have to do, James."


End file.
